November 19, 2009 by acook
News flash – I’m headed to Mexico in 2010! Yay!
As with my other trips, I’ll be traveling with Global Encounters. But this time we’ll be doing something completely new – attending Spanish language school! Even though I took two years of Spanish class in high school, I still lack the skills to communicate well in a more than surface-level conversation. I have a good foundation, but since I’ve lacked opportunity to really immerse myself in intensive study, I just haven’t crossed that line into effective, fluent communication.
So, that’s why I and six others have decided to attend language school in San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico. We’ll be there for four weeks learning Spanish and doing ministry projects on the side that will allow us opportunity to use our new training on a daily basis. Though I don’t expect to come home perfectly fluent, my goal is to become a competent Spanish speaker, able to converse on a personal level with those I encounter, and to accurately share the Gospel and answer related questions. Attending language school is that next big step towards going full-time on the mission field, something I’ve known God was calling me to since my early teens.
The trip dates are January 23 – February 23, 2010. Some specific prayer requests include:
- Efficient preparations for departure
- Profitable pre-trip studying
- Finances
- A productive time in language school
- Safety in traveling and living in Chiapas for a month
- That God would be glorified through myself and the team
The entire language school team can be met here. Many of you will probably recognize several of the faces, as I’ve had opportunity to travel with all but one of the team members on at least one or more past trips, and we’ve gotten to be good friends. I’m so excited to be a part of this team!
Wow… I still can’t believe it’s happening…! Every time I think of the trip, I get so excited I get the all-over jitters! 
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November 9, 2009 by acook
Moving perplexity #84 - how is it that you can do your first hamper load of laundry in your new house and still come out with an odd number of socks? And this isn’t a hypothetical question.
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November 9, 2009 by acook
Wow, it finally happened – moving day! Actually, it was moving out day, as we’re house-sitting for some friends until we get possession of our new house. Anyway, several friends from church came over to help, and here are some pics of the fun…
Wow, that’s one huge truck!
Everyone agreed these must be the world’s heaviest washer and dryer
Always a quandary how to get things down the stairs…
Piece by piece…
Sometimes it’s more fun not to use the hydraulic lift
And how’s this supposed to fit?
All in!
Our neighbor Dan Harris, a professional semi-truck driver, helped by doing the driving. Sure made Dad feel better! Somehow backing into our driveway was all the adventure Dad wanted.
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November 8, 2009 by acook
Last week I had the opportunity of attending the 2009 Passion4Christ Summit in Perrysville, Ohio. What an awesome experience! My sister came again this year as well, and we brought a couple of friends with us, Jessica and Emily Kromminga. The sessions were powerful, the fellowship encouraging, the theme dinners fun, and throughout the whole 5-day conference we saw the hand of God. The theme this year was “Approving the Excellent” and we walked through the book of Philippians exploring several different topics including the excellent motive, serving with grace, the mind of Christ, Christian unity, piercing the darkness, choosing suffering, pursuing purpose, and Biblical thinking. This conference is an encouragement I don’t get elsewhere, so I’m grateful to the Cavanaugh family for running it as part of their family ministry, Vision4Living.
Our cabin
Ready for the “Night Before Pearl Harbor” theme dinner – Elizabeth, me, Emily, Jessica
Pearl Harbor Dinner
The waiters and waitresses of Buckingham Palace
A partial Team Colombia ‘09 reunion – Micah, Steven, Elizabeth, me, Daniel
Speaker Dewey Novotny
Speaker David Sunday
2010 PCS dates are October 27-31, and any qualifying individuals are welcome to come! 
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It’s amazing how fast life can change! Just two weeks ago we were getting ready to pull our house off the market after unsuccessfully trying to sell for about two years. Then…
Well, we’re moving! Yep, that’s right!
It’s been awesome living here in the country on the seven most beautiful acres in all of Iowa (IMHO ). But, it’s a long drive to work, church, shopping, etc., and we needed a change. So, we’re downsizing to a ranch house, closer to town, and with a smaller yard (still big enough for a garden though). The Lord provided a nice sized, newer house for us to purchase (we just placed an accepted offer this weekend), and so the packing has begun! (On that topic, it’s amazing how much STUFF accumulates when you’ve lived over 11 years in one house!)
Another detail the Lord worked out is a house-sitting arrangement for some friends over the winter. So, during the month gap between closings, and during the painting/moving in process of our new house, we’ll have a nice place to stay.
I don’t have pictures yet, but those will come in time. Just wanted to let everyone know the breaking news!
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September 21, 2009 by acook
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September 15, 2009 by acook
This past weekend we celebrated my mom’s 50th birthday! We gave her her very first digital camera (a blue Canon Powershot SD1200, for those who like specifics ), a PDA with Laridian Bible software, and of course, Toblerone chocolates. For lunch we had some very succulent homemade BBQ ribs, cheddar mashed potatoes, tossed salad, and lemon snow pudding. It was so delicious (mom has great taste in food choices!).
Congrats, mom! I love you!
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